As housing laying hens in aviaries becomes more common, understanding relationships between social context and performance of key behaviors, such as dust bathing (DB), is important. Expression of behaviors may be increased or repressed by the presence of conspecifics, and degree of behavioral synchrony can affect per hen resource allocation. We investigated relationships between number of hens on litter, number of hens simultaneously DB, and interbird distances (IBD) on space used to DB and duration of DB bouts across 4 laying hen strains (Hy-Line Brown [HB], Bovan Brown [BB], DeKalb White [DW], and Hy-Line [W36]) at 28 wk of age. Brown hens needed more space to DB than white hens (HB 1125.26; BB 1146.51 vs. DW 962.65; W36 943.39 cm2; P < 0.01). More white hens occupied litter at once (43 DW, 41 W36 vs. 28 HB, 31 BB; P < 0.01), and more white hens DB simultaneously than brown hens (11 DW, 19 W36 vs. 4 HB, 4 BB; P < 0.01). Brown hens had larger average IBD (HB 13.99, BB 15.11 vs. DW 8.39, W36 7.85 cm; P < 0.01) and larger minimum IBD (HB 6.76, BB 7.35 vs. DW 1.63, W36 1.79 cm; P < 0.01) but shorter DB durations than white hens (HB 7.37, BB 9.00 vs. DW 13.91, W36 15.16 min; P < 0.01). White hens' DB area decreased if number of hens on litter increased (DW 0.85; W36 0.79 cm; P < 0.05) or minimum IBD decreased (DW 3.66, W36 2.98 cm; P < 0.01). Brown hens' DB bout duration decreased as number of hens on litter increased (HB 0.87, BB 0.95 min; P < 0.01), number of other hens DB increased (HB 0.75, BB 0.69 min; P ≤ 0.02), or minimum IBD decreased (HB 2.39, BB 2.31 min; P < 0.01). In response to smaller IBD and more hens on litter simultaneously, DW and W36 hens minimize DB area while BB and HB hens shorten DB bouts, potentially terminating bouts before fulfilling their needs. Variations in DB behavior among strains should be considered when planning and stocking laying hen aviaries.

中文翻译：

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产蛋母鸡的除尘：应变，接近度和种数很重要。

随着在鸡舍中产蛋的母鸡变得越来越普遍，了解社交环境与关键行为（如沐浴粉尘（DB））之间的关系变得很重要。行为表达可能因同种异体的存在而增加或抑制，并且行为同步的程度会影响每种资源的分配。我们调查了母鸡产仔数，同时母鸡数以及在用于母猪的空间上的鸟间距（IBD）与跨越4种蛋鸡品系的母猪回合持续时间之间的关系（Hy-Line Brown [HB]，Bovan Brown [BB ]，28岁时的迪卡尔布·怀特[DW]和海兰[W36]）。棕色母鸡比白色母鸡需要更多的空间（HB 1125.26; BB 1146.51对DW 962.65; W36 943.39 cm2; P <0.01）。越来越多的白母鸡一次占了窝（43 DW，41 W36 vs. 28 HB，31 BB； P <0.01），同时，白色母鸡的DB比棕色母鸡的要多（11头体重，19头W36对4 HB，4 BB； P <0.01）。棕色母鸡的平均IBD较大（HB 13.99，BB 15.11 vs. DW 8.39，W36 7.85 cm; P <0.01）和最小IBD（HB 6.76，BB 7.35 vs.DW 1.63，W36 1.79 cm; P <0.01）但较短DB持续时间长于白母鸡（HB 7.37，BB 9.00 vs. DW 13.91，W36 15.16 min; P <0.01）。如果产仔数增加（DW 0.85； W36 0.79 cm； P <0.05）或最小IBD减少（DW 3.66，W36 2.98 cm； P <0.01），则白母鸡的DB面积减小。棕色母鸡的回合持续时间随着产仔数的增加而减少（HB 0.87，BB 0.95 min； P <0.01），其他母鸡的DB数量增加（HB 0.75，BB 0.69 min； P≤0.02），或最小IBD降低（HB 2.39，BB 2.31分钟； P <0.01）。为了同时应对较小的IBD和更多的母鸡，DW和W36母鸡能最大程度地减少DB的面积，而BB和HB母鸡能缩短DB的争夺，有可能在满足需求之前终止争夺。在规划和放养家禽舍时应考虑菌株之间DB行为的差异。